Small & Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs)

PR for Small & Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs)

Small and medium entreprises (SMEs) are the backbone of German business. Collectively known as the Mittelstand, they are praised abroad as a symbol of German quality. Acccording to the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW), the Mittelstand contains about 1,500 hidden champions.

Many of Industrie-Contact’s customers come from the Mittelstand, although our list of references also boasts many foreign SME names. Family-owned, dynamic, innovative– the Mittelstand philosophy is also ours. This is why SMEs and Industrie-Contact are a perfect match.

What is a hidden champion?

The ZEW gives the following definition of a hidden champion: “The ZEW study defines hidden champions as companies with less than 10,000 employees which generate the majority of sales abroad. Hidden champions, according to the study, hold a global market share of one to ten per cent – depending on the size of the respective sales market – and have achieved a growth in sales that exceeds the sector average by at least ten per cent in the previous five years.” The study also shows that 86% of hidden champions operate in industrial sectors, while 14% are active in service sectors.

Classic press work and live communication

The overwhelming majority of SMEs has focused its PR on classic press work and live communication. Building a presence in the specialized media is therefore crucial. This includes both the horizontal and vertical media. Industrie-Contact has helped many SMEs gain a presence with articles in leading German newspapers such as Wirtschaftswoche, Handelsblatt, Süddeutsche Zeitung and Frankfürter Allgemeine Zeitung. Stories on hidden champions are particularly effective.

Finally, Industrie-Contact has assisted appearances at trade shows for many Mittelstand businesses. This includes preparing press kits, inviting journalists and conducting interviews at the customer’s stand. Those one-on-one interviews have proven to be successful alternatives to press conferences in the past few years.